Balance arm for windows



Aug. 28, 1928.

' E. H. ELLISON BALANCE ARM F011 WINDOWS Filed Jan. 27, 1925 INEENTOR.

ATTORNEY-5 Patented Aug. 28, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFEQE.

EDWARD H. ELLISON, OF JAMESTGWN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO AUSTRAL VTINDO'W COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. 52"., A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

BALANCE ARM FOR. WINDOWS.

Application filed January 27, 132-3.

My invention relates to an improved balance a m to be used in connection with halanced windows of the type described in the United States Letters Patent to E. G. Abell, No. 788,182, granted April 25, 1905, reissued November 14, 1905, No. 12, 109, and United States Letters Patent No. 821,510 to Alexander Knox, granted May 22, 1906, in which patents are shown upper and lower'sashes pivotally connected with the window frame in such a manner as to permit substantial and simultaneous vertical movementof the sashes and also permitting simultaneously with the said vertical movement of a limited swinging or turning movement of each sash about its pivotal connection.

Heretofore balance arms of the type referred to in the above mentioned patents were manufactured from malleable iron castings, but as manufactured from such castings they have a number of inherent objections chief of which are the following: (1) After the manufacture of the balance arms the castings had to be examined for de fects due chiefly to imperfect molding, distortion resulting from annealing, cinders, sand holes and excessive shrinkage with the result that the discards not infrequently would run as high as (2) that in order to provide for the irregularities in the shrinkage of the castings they were made about onequarter of an inch longer than the required size with a result that a milling operation at each end of each arm was necessitated in order to reduce it to the proper length; (3) after the castings were made they were placed in gigs to enable the end and center pivot holes to be drilled and that during this drilling operation flaws were often detected so that a number of arms had to be discarded entirely with a result that the labor put on the discarded arms for drilling purposes became a total loss; 1) after the arms were assembled to the pivot block in operative relation to the windows they had to be tested again to ascertain whether or not they had the proper offset; (5) due to the warping and twisting of the castings in the cooling and annealing process it was impossible to reduce most of these operations to a mechanical basis; and (6) the time required between the placing of an order in the factory and the delivery of the finished product to the store room ranged from three to six months due to so many conditions over which there was no Serial No. 5,035.

control, with a result that it was very dithcult to provide for the necessary requirements without carrying a comparatively large supply.

My present invention has to do with a balance arm so constructed, formed and shaped as will overcome the objections above enumerated. According to my invention therefore the balance arm is preferably manufactured from stampable metal, such as hot rolled steel, and possesses among other things, the following features and advantages over the balance arm and the method of manufacturing the same heretofore in vogue; (l) practicall no rejections and the elimination of substantially all waste; (2) a substantial reduction in weight; (3) increase in strength and consequently a gain in safety; a substantial reduction in store room space for the finished product; (5) a substantial reduction in the storage space required for the raw material; (6) only a comparatively small stock need be carried to meet emergencies; (7) reduction in financing as the manufacturing of the balance arms can be effected after orders have been placed; (8) due to the reduction in the weight of the arms there will be a corresponding reduction in freight and :-:press items; and (9) the cost of the manufacture of the balance arm, according to present calculations, is at least 25% less than the cost of the manufacture of the balance arm of the old type.

The material employed in the manufacture of my improved balance arm for use on balanced windows of standard sizes is preferably hot rolled steel which can be ordered from the stock of any mill and is a standard product. As no tine required for the preparation of this material deliveries can be made immediately. As now manufactured by my improved method these strips of hot rolled. steel are fed in at one end of the press which, with one stroke, produces the rm blank and a formed-up balance arm at the same time; that is to say two men are in charge of one press, one feeding in the material to be blanked and the other man thereafter placing the blanl: into the forming die. By a punching operation the formed-up balance arm is then provided at its center and ends with pivot holes. lVhen they come from the press these arms manufactured, as they preferably are, from tamped metal, are absolutely uniform to bik onethousandth of an inch and require no straightening operation or operations what ever. In the forming operation each end of the arm is offset which serves as one of the hearing members for each sash bolt pivot.

After the arms are formed up and punched in the manner just stated a companion bearing member for each sash bolt pivot, previously formed and punched, is spot welded to each end of the arm for the sash bolt. Either before or after said members have been so spot welded the center of the arm is putthrough the second forming operation to square the edges at the center to give the center portion square corners whereby the window sashes may be easily made to conform, after which the center filler piece is electro\velded in place. The channel shape of the central portion permits a filler piece rectangular in cross section to be welded along its upper edges to the top of the flanges, thereby requiring only the joint around three edges of the filler piece at each end to be sealed, as by solder, against moisture, etc. The sash eye belts or pivot blocks are riveted in place to the forked ends of the arm. Practically all of these operations, with the exception of the electro-welding, are accomplished by machines with the result that the production is much more rapid and the personal equation is reduced to a mini mum; in fact inside of three weeks from the time of placing of an order in the factory completed arms can be placed in the store room ready for shipment.

By the provision of a channel shaped balance lever for windows many advantages are attained which permits of a simple and ex peditious method of manufacture, for instance by two simple operations, one of stamping and one of forming, a balance arm is obtained which has the requisite strength due to its channel shape; has a pleasing appearance due to its tapering arms; is enabled to be subjected to a third operation whereby the center may be squared to conform to the necessary shapes of window sashes; enables mereiy a companion end portion of small area to be spot-welded at each end of the intermediate portions for cooperation with the integral end portion formed on the web of the balance arm, whereby little sealing of the joints against moisture is necessary and an adequate pivot member or filler block may be secured by a simple arc welding step within the central portion which also affords a very small joint to be welded.

Other objects, advantages and features of construction and operation will more fully appear from the detailed description below taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 illustrates the flat raw stock from which the arm is manufactured. It is about two inches wide, one-eighth of an inch in thickness and of any suitable or convenient length.

Fig. 2 is a cross section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 illustrates the shape of the blank cut from the stock shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4; illustrates a plan and side View of the balance arm after the first forming operation.

Fig. 5 is a cross section taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 illustrates the balance arm after the first forming operation and after the center and end holes have been punched.

Fig. 7 illustrates the balance arm after the second forming operation which squares the edges of the arm through the rectangular section at the center.

Fig. 8 is a cross section taken on the line 88 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 illustrates a longitudinal section taken on the line 9-9 of Fig. 10 showing the filler inserted in the channel at the center portion of the arm.

Fig. 10 is a cross section taken on the line 10-1O of Fig. 9 showing the filler piece in position with the bevel edges thereof ready for the arc welding operation.

Fig. 11 illustrates a front and edge view of the companion bearing member for the sash bolts stamped up and punched from the same stock from which the balance arm is formed.

Fig. 12 is a side View of my improved balance arm completely formed, and with. the sash bolts attached thereto.

Fig. 13 is a View at right angles to that illustrated in Fig. 12.

Fig. 14. is a section taken on theline 14-44: of Fig. 12.

Fig. 15 is a section taken on the line 1515 of Fig. 12.

Fig. 16 illustrates a modified form of connection which may be employed between the balance arm and the sash bolts.

Referring to the drawings in detail the reference numeral 10 designates the raw flat stock from which the balance arm is manufactured. Fig. 3 illustrates a blank cut from the raw stock 10. This blank comprises a central portion 11, end portions 12 and intermediate portions 13 located between the central portion 11 and end portions 12. The edges of the portions 18 are preferably tapered from the central portion 11 outwardly. The amount of taper given to the portions 13 may obviously vary but it is preferably as illustrated. The end portions 12 constitute portions by means of which the sash bolts are pivotally connected to the balance arm. The central port-ion 11 and intermediate portions 13 constitute the body portion of the balance arm.

In the formation of the balance arm by my method the blank, after it has been out from ELI the raw stock, is subjected to three operations, to wit, the first forming operation, the punching operation, and a second forming operation. A plurality of these operations may be eifected at the same time, that is to say, simultaneously with the cutting of a second blank from the raw stock, such as illustrated in Fig. 3, the first blank, during the: same stroke of the press, is shaped up to the form illustrated in Fig. 4e. Thereafter the punching operation is effected to provide the end holes 1 1 and the center hole 15. The second forming operation for squaring up the center portion 11 of the balance arm will be described in detail below.

A first forming operation just described results in a channel shaped construction, clearly illustrated in Fig. 5, in which the blank has been transformed into a bottom portion 16 and flange portions 17 and 18 located substantially at right angles to the surface of the bottom portion 16. As clearly shown in Fig. 5 said surfaces are rounded where the bottom 16 merges into the flanges 17 and 18 as a necessary incident to their manufacture. To efiect the rectangular relation of said surfaces at the center portion 11 in order to conform to the window sashes when installed a second forming operation is resorted to which consists in punching the interior corners 19 and 20 by a suitable tool which results in pressing the metal outwardly into a sharp corner as clearly shown in Figs. 8 and 10. The indentations caused by the punching operation just referred to are indicated by the reference numerals 21 and 22. The punch employed in squaring up the center portion 11 as indicated enters said corners 21 and 22 in a direction indicated by the arrows 23 and 24.

The forming die for the first operation is so constructed that the end portions 12 are preferably pressed outwardly beyond the plane of the bottom portion 16. The oppositely shaped companion end portions 25 are thereafter spot welded to the ends of bottom portion 16 in juxtaposition to the end portions 12. The end portions 25 are provided with a perforation 26 which, in con unction with the perforation 1 1 of the end portions 12, provide the forked bearings for the sash bolt pivots 27 and 28. Thls is all clearly lllustrated in Figs. 12, 13 and 15. The sash bolts are designated by the numerals 29 and 30. It will be noted that the companion end portions may, if desired, be relatively small so that the area thereof secured to the intermediate portions is not excessive and the o nt between forms but a small section requiring the application of a seal, such as solder.

After the balance arm is shaped up as a result of the two forming operations above described the central portion 11 thereof is provided with a filler block 31 joined to the balance arm preferably by an arc welding operation. This serves to strengthen the arm at what would otherwise be its weakest point. It also provides a suitable means by which the pivot 32 of the pivot block 33 is supported. As such it is a pivot member to effect this welding operation the fillerblock is provided with bevelled edges 34 which is filled with a suitable metal for that purpose. After this operation is completed the surplus metal is ground oil'. The welding operation effectually seals the upper longitudinal joint between the channel walls and the filler block and there thus remains only the joints around the ends of the filler block which require sealing as by solder. The pivot block 33 is connected to the balance arm by means of the pivot 32 passing through said filler block of the arm and rigidly secured thereto.

'It may be noted that the balance arm may be made in various lengths and to accomplish this by one set of forming and blanking dies is one of the more important features of my invention. The portions 12 of the balance arm are formed by dies which are standard for all sizes of arms. The central portion 11 is also formed by a die which is standard for all sizes of arms. However, the intermediate portions 13 are formed from the die sections of variable lengths with a result that the length of the portions 13 may be extended or contracted as desired by utilizing die sections therefor of appropriate lengths, there being two removable die sections for each length of arm desired. In other words the dies for forming up the arms are built along the same lines as the blanking dies for producing the blanks, certain sections of the dies being standard while other sections are removable so that the different sizes may be produced by the one combination die.

Not only are the blanking and forming dies interchangeable so that different symmetrical arms are capable of being produced thereby but levers having unequal arms are also capable of being produced by a blanking or forming die for one length of arm on one side of the central portion 11, say, while a blanking or forming die for a diiferent length of arm may be disposed upon the opposite side. Thus balance levers having unequal arms may be quickly and easily manufactured for particular window situations and the annoyances and expense of manufacturing special patterns are obviated.

In Fig. 16 is shown a slightly modified form of connection between the end of the balance arm and the sash bolt 29. In this case the end of the arm is provided with only one end portion 12 which in assembled position is located between the members 35 and 36 of the bolt 29. In other words the forked end is on the sash bolt instead. of on the balance arm.

I make no claim herein to the method of manufacturing the improved balance arm as that constitutes the subject matter of a sepa rate application filed on even date herewith.

I have illustrated and described herein the preferred forms of my invention but it is to be expressly understood that I do not limit myself thereto as many changes may be made in points of detail and other embodiments re sorted to Without deviating from the true .spirit and scope of my invention.

W hat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A balance arm for Windows formed up from a single sheet of stampable material comprising a central portion, intermediate portions, and end portions, the central and intermediate portions being channeled in cross sections, in combination with companion end portions secured, respectively, to the outer ends of the intermediate portions and cooperating With the aforesaid end portions to provide a means for attaching sash bolts.

2. A balance-arm for Windows formed up from stampable metal comprising, a central portion, intermediate portions and end portions, the central and intermediate portions being channeled in cross section, a pivot member secured to the central portion and companion end portions connected to the ends of the intermediate portions and, cooperating With the first named end portions to provide a means for attaching sash bolts.

8. A channel shaped arm formed up from stampable metal, comprising a central portion With squared edges and a filler block inserted therein and Welded therewith to provide a rectangular cross section; an intermediate portion tapering therefrom, and an end portion Which is composed of an extension of the channel Web and a portion Welded to the extremity of the channel Web to provide bearing members for sash bolts.

4. A balance arm for Windows formed up from stampable metal and comprising a central portion, intermediate portions and end portions, the central and intermediate portions being channelled in cross section and With the channel of the central portion provided with a pivot member permanently secured thereto.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 16th day of January, 1925.

EDWARD H. ELLISON. 

